Leading from the front

Irina Spirieva is General Manager of Besins Healthcare UK and igniting the company’s growing role in hormonal therapies

Irina started her career in fast-moving consumer goods – working in brand management for AB-InBev and Heineken.

Following the completion of her MBA, she joined Johnson & Johnson before moving to MSD and supporting the spin-off of its women’s health business Organon.

Her experience in women’s health has led her to her new role at Besins, joining the company at a particularly exciting period in the company’s evolution.

Here, Irina explains what leadership means to her and how she is striving to ensure her leadership has meaning in the world.

As General Manager for the UK and Ireland, I now have the privilege of steering Besins Healthcare UK into its next chapter, building on the growth of the company over the last few years to ensure we are seen, and conduct ourselves as a leader in the reproductive health hormone space.

One of my biggest aspirations is to shift the public perception of the pharmaceutical industry and for the industry to be seen and better recognised as part of the solution to the health problems we face.

At Besins, we have worked hard to solve supply shortages around hormone replacement therapies (HRT) in response to the extraordinary leap in demand over the past few years.

This allows us to now focus on closing the gaps in menopause care and access to treatment, particularly for women from diverse ethnic minorities and different socio-economic backgrounds.

We have significantly invested to rapidly scale up our manufacturing capacity to ensure the resilience and security of supply. This includes the opening of a new factory in September 2023, which has boosted our supply capacity by 30%.

As suppliers of hormone therapies for both men and women, Besins is a committed partner to help support the NHS in the delivery of healthcare.

We are pleased that progress is being made via the Women’s Health Strategy including supporting menopausal women and those with other life-impacting conditions such as infertility and endometriosis to make informed choices to meet their needs.

We welcomed the fact that the previous government committed to a Men’s Health Taskforce and hope this will be a stepping stone on the way to deliver a fully fledged and comprehensive Men’s Health Strategy to address inequities in male health outcomes.

Recent updates to VPAG and the statutory scheme present a significant challenge across our industry, especially for smaller pharma companies like Besins.

As a UK business, we are now facing levies of up to 35% on our hormone products, a commercial penalty that could ultimately limit patients’ treatment options.

As a leader, one of my greatest priorities is advocating on behalf of patients so that continued advancements in hormone health are sustained and maintained and the value of the medicines that we supply will not be overlooked.

I have always been a very driven person, and the pursuit of knowledge has been a defining characteristic of my own path to leadership.

In this industry, breakthroughs happen at breakneck speed and a leader who isn’t constantly learning risks falling behind.

But growth isn’t just about technical expertise. It’s about understanding your personal strengths and weaknesses.

I’ve actively sought feedback throughout my career – not always the most comfortable thing, but crucial for the self-awareness needed to lead with authenticity and to inspire others to do the same.

An essential part of authentic leadership is fostering an environment where everyone feels valued and heard.

It’s not just about creating a feel-good atmosphere, it’s essential to unlocking the full potential of your workforce.

But for me this is about more than just commercial success – it’s a mission I take very personally. So much of what we do in the pharmaceutical space is about positively influencing the lives of others.

While we will never get the chance to meet the majority of those people, as a leader, the people whose lives you have the opportunity to impact the most are those you interact with every day.

Fairness, openness and respect for others are my guiding values, and these values are very much shared by Besins, where I’m proud that we’re building a culture where everyone is empowered to contribute their best.

I’m particularly passionate about gender parity and supporting women in achieving their definition of success. I hope to leave the world a better place for my two young daughters.

As a working mother immersed in the healthcare space, I’m reminded daily of the importance of balance. For me, a key aspect of leadership is achieving a healthy work-life balance.

Away from my professional life, my family is my priority and it’s important to me that I can be present at home with my husband and two young daughters, whilst also being a good leader and role model in the workplace.

I know what it’s like to juggle a demanding career with family life and other competing commitments and priorities, and I hope to demonstrate that success in a leadership role doesn’t have to come at the expense of personal well-being and our personal interests.